I always had really bad social anxiety and always isolated myself so I never really developed social skills. I tend to be awkward and can’t hold a conversation with most people. Even if it goes well at first their always something I am that I do unintentionally I’m unaware of that makes people dislike me.
So I assume I just have to force myself into social situations and roll with cringe but eventually it will get easier the more I do it
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Watch YouTube videos/articles on the basics, like introducing yourself, how to start a convo etc.
Then go into social situations and implement them
I’m guessing when you reflect upon the social experiences you put yourself into, you’ll find them to be much less intense than they seemed beforehand. It’s the way of the human. We just have different levels of emotion.
Yes it helps once u stop caring about what people think easier said than done though
Yes that’s it. I also take cues from curb your enthusiasm.
Yes, practice is the best. You’ll learn the best ways of breaking the ice, and also how to read people to avoid stepping on toes. If I may ask, what do you do unintentionally that makes you unlikeable? I’m of the opinion that social interaction goes both ways – you need to put your best foot forward, but people should also not judge people too quickly.
I’ve learned over the years to remind myself that most people aren’t perfect either. We often feel anxious because we assume we’re worse at talking than others are. There’s also a mental trick I use that makes me feel better. Next time you’re around someone, pay attention to everything they say and do, and then judge their actions the way you’d judge yourself for doing those things. Imagine yourself doing what they do.
They twitch? Acting awkward.
They talk too much? Obviously awful.
Doing mental exercises like that calms me down since it reminds me that we judge ourselves far more harshly than we judge others. When people do judge others incredibly harshly, they often have shallow and unstable relationships. It has helped me realize more that being somewhat open minded is an important trait to having a friend. judgmental people aren’t the type of person you should want approval from, they are often disloyal and manipulative. It’s important consider whether this person’s opinion is worth caring about.